There are a lot of reasons why "Chinatown", Roman Polanski's
classic from 1974, is often described as the first neo-noir. On one side, we
have all the traditional ingredients of a film noir in the sense of Billy
Wilder and John Huston: a mysterious femme fatale, a tough guy who -
confronted with beauty - becomes tender, a suspenseful plot full of
ambiguities, a highly sensual atmosphere and very stylish lighting and
camerawork. We can find that all in the beautiful noir films from the 1940s.
But then, in the midst of the 1970s New Hollywood movement, Polanski and
screenwriter Robert Towne have broken the rules, if there's such a thing as
rules. While the opening credits have a nice old-fashioned look, the first
shots of the film introduce us to a new kind of noir. A noir shot in
cinemascope and composed in earthly Technicolor photography. A film full of
sadness, grief and despair, with an ending as unexpected as any other twist in
the film.

"Chinatown" is a work of passion; a labor of love if you want. It breaths the
spirit of the 40s, though it transforms it into an elegiac search for meaning
and truth. It's J.J. Gittes' (Jack Nicholson) search, but as the film
progresses and his point of view melts with the viewer's, you can't help but
be emotionally crippled in the end, regardless of your first impression of
Nicholson's sleazy character.

Then there’s Faye Dunaway, in what I can confidently call her finest
performance. Her character Evelyn Mulwray isn’t as open and charming as
Barbara Stanwyck in “Double Indemnity”, but she has something to hide, and a
lot of mysterious facets beneath that. Evelyn is eloquent but distanced,
intelligent but secretive. You may think of her as the most stereotypical of
femme fatales, but that impression will change radically somewhere in the
middle of the film. Watching Dunaway’s perfectly nuanced acting alone is
enough to revisit this complex film over and over again.

One may talk about the change of Polanski's style after the tragic murder of
his wife in 1969 - and I think that a lot of Polanski's grief is resembled in
the character of J.J. Gittes - but "Chinatown" is also one of those lucky
movie moments where everything fits together. In a glorious time where major
studios gave their directors total artistic freedom, Towne and Polanski
created a film worthy to be mentioned among noir precursors like "Double Indemnity" and "Out of the Past". What we have here is inventive and
passionate filmmaking; and that's something that has become very rare in
modern cinema.

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were
taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Paramount - Region FREE Blu-ray - March 2012:

Yes - this is a solid upgrade. The SD was never very
favorable to Chinatown's appearance - but Paramount's brighter
dual-layered transfer has a high bitrate and supports the film well with
superior contrast and detail plus colors are tighter and more robust. The
murkiness of the video-like DVDs have been replaced with a sharper, if not
pristine, and far more authentic film-like presentation. Chinatown is
still very thick looking but now in 1080P this seems far more 'comfortable' than
out-of-place as it was with the previous digital releases.

It sports lossless options via Dolby TrueHD in 5.1 at 3019 kbps
and a less robust stereo 2.0 channel. The surround offers some minor separations
and a few more bombastic ones. There are also foreign language DUBs available.
Audio is another notable step forward. The presence of Jerry Goldsmith's score
seems more prominent and sounds crisp and moody via the uncompressed. There are
optional subtitles and the Paramount Blu-ray
disc is Region FREE.

Fans are really treated with a commentary with Robert Towne and
David Fincher who square off as a vibrant discussion pair to talk about
Chinatown. This is a great was to celebrate the film reaching Blu-ray
status. There is also a lengthy (1 1/4 hour) 3-part documentary on 'Water and
Power' and its implications in bringing it into the Greater Los Angeles area
(Towne takes a tour of the Aqueduct) as well as a nice 'Appreciation'
lasting 25-minutes with input by many including Steven Soderbergh, Roger Deakins,
James Newton Howard and others. The rest are the three previously released
featurettes (Chinatown: The Beginning and the End, Chinatown: Filming
and Chinatown: The Legacy) lasting over an hour. The above
supplements are all in 480i but there is an HD trailer included and 8-pages of
liner notes featuring an essay and color photos.

Chinatown is a film that only improves with repeat
viewings as you find more and more to appreciate with its endless layers of
neo-noir darkness. This Blu-ray package has a ton of value and we strongly recommend it!

Gary Tooze

***

The New SE: Video:
The new Chinatown (still 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen) looks
cleaner, brighter, sharper, and more detailed than previous DVD
releases. Colors are quite lush, and there is a little bit more of the
image on the sides depending on the shots.

Audio:
You get the same DD 5.1 English audio track that appeared on the
previous R1 edition. It does a decent job of easing the constriction of
old mono technology, but obviously, it can’t compete with today’s wide
dynamic ranges. Purists can opt for the original DD 2.0 mono English
track (restored to remove hiss, pops, and other wear-and-tear defects).

Coded for Regions 1 and 4 (North and South America), a language menu
appears when the disc loads. Selecting English, French, Spanish, or
Portuguese determines the audio that accompanies the movie (though the
Main Menu is in English). Thus, you can watch Chinatown with DD 2.0 mono
French, Spanish, and Portuguese dubs. Optional English, French, Spanish,
and Portuguese subtitles as well as optional English closed captions
support the audio.

Extras:
“Chinatown: The Beginning and the End” is a retrospective
overview of the production. You get interviews with key personnel like
Roman Polanski, Robert Evans, Robert Towne, and Jack Nicholson.

“Chinatown: Filming” features Polanski and Nicholson talking
about specifics such as cinematography, make-up, and on-set
frustrations.

In “Chinatown: The Legacy”, Polanski talks about how he viewed
working on the movie as a job rather than as a pet project. Robert
Evans, Robert Towne, and Jack Nicholson also talk about how they were
unsure of the movie’s ability to succeed. However, as Polanski observes,
time has been kind to Chinatown.

Finally, you get an anamorphic widescreen trailer of terrible quality.
It gives you a sense of how lucky we are to have this new DVD release.

(You’ll have to hang on to the previous DVD for that disc’s
retrospective interviews.)

--Miscellaneous--
This time around, you don’t get an insert with chapter listings.

Yunda Eddie Feng

BOTTOM LINE: It's a steal at less than $11.

****

About the PAL edition: The
picture is perhaps a little bit too soft, but everything else is stellar.
The original audio track is excellent as well.

The only extras we get are the retrospective interviews and the trailer.
Both are nice additions, although nothing to make a loop for.